The Need to Rethink Personal Data Handling
Have you ever received an old-fashioned letter? I know, it seems archaic, but bear with me. It’s a great analogy. For us young readers (myself included), think of a letter like a physical email, sent to your address through the postal service.
Eventually, a mailman delivers it to you, and those mail slots on your door or mailbox by the road are the devices listening for new mail. Mail slots are fantastic because they allow letters into your house while keeping the postman out.
Now, imagine a world without mail slots. You’re lounging on your couch, just chillin’, when suddenly a wild mailman appears! He’s got a letter, but instead of slipping it into your trusty mail slot, he barges into your house and starts rummaging around like a raccoon in a dumpster.
In this scenario, the postman should do only one thing: enter your house, put down your letter, and leave. However, there’s a lot the postman could do. He could rearrange your furniture, grab a few of your possessions on the way out, or even forget to lock the door behind him.
Needless to say, this is a terrible system. We’d need all sorts of legal complexities and system checks to make it work even somewhat effectively. But here’s the kicker: we’ve essentially designed a lot of internet services this way! Online payments being one of them.
